Waiting
by UbiquitousPhantom
Summary: SyFy version. Hatter never came to our world for Alice. So she had to go back to his. AlicexHatter. ONESHOT!


_**Waiting**_

_Summary: SyFy version. Hatter never came to our world for Alice. So she had to go back to his. AlicexHatter. ONESHOT!_

_**Disclaimer: **__Not mine. Don't think it ever will be, unfortunately. However, thanks to fan fiction, I can borrow the characters whenever and however long I want. =D_

_**AN: **__So, I've been wanting and wanting to write an Alice fic, but I just couldn't think up of a good enough idea. Until, this came along. Hope you like. =)_

_REVISED; Should be no more mistakes._

_**XxXxXxXxX**_

Alice and her mother returned home after a couple of hours longer in the hospital. They both had wanted to leave right away, naturally, but the doctor had refused to let them, "just in case she went into shock". And she very well should have, her mother had said, suffering who knows what in that abandoned warehouse.

Only Alice appeared to have known what had happened to her. She went to Wonderland. Wonderland. She had always thought it was a kids' story. Obviously not. Well, it could have been, if not for how it was--the casino taking over lives, the resistance fighting the Queen's hand steadily. If things weren't they way they had been… well, maybe she would have turned into another children's story. "Alice in Wonderland--Again", maybe.

Only Alice knew of Jack Heart and the Duchess. Mad March, the psycho who had tailed her and the Hatter for ages. Hatter. With his smart smile and yellow hat. And the Queen and her casino, taking emotions from humans, "oysters", they called them. The Carpenter… Daddy. Daddy was…

She shook her head fiercely, refusing to even think about it. She'd stay strong. It wasn't like him being dead was any different from before. Except… it was. She had a hope when he was just gone, of finding him and bringing him back home happily. But now…

"Honey?"

Alice turned around to face her mother.

"Nancy called--you remember her, don't you? She came by when you were younger for your birthdays--and she wanted to get together. Do you mind if I go tonight…?"

Alice swallowed. "Uhmm… ahh--"

"Nevermind. I can stay home."

"No! It's okay, really. I just wasn't expecting that." She really shouldn't be surprised about anything anymore, should she? Just coming back from Wonderland and all… "Go ahead. Have a nice dinner with Nancy," she smiled.

Her mother looked at her worriedly for a moment. "Are you sure?"

Alice nodded, and sensing that Alice would want some alone time, her mother went, locking the door behind her and telling her to call if she needed anything.

As soon as the door was shut, Alice whispered, "I need Hatter…"

_XxXxXxXxX_

Hatter swallowed hard when the Suit pushed her through the Looking Glass, telling her to force herself to breathe. It wasn't fair. Alice shouldn't have gone. He should have stopped her.

Stop being so selfish, he told himself. She doesn't want you and she'll never want you. She's way too good for you, anyway.

Sucking in a deep breath, he turned around to leave. However, a hand on his shoulder wouldn't let him. "Hatter."

Hatter stopped, but didn't turn around. He knew that voice. God, he knew it. It was Jack. Mr. High and Mighty. Mr. Future King. Mr. … well, Mr. Posh. "What?"

"Go after Alice, Hatter."

Hatter shook his head. "She didn't want me. I used her, just like you used her. She doesn't want someone who will use her. She could do way better than me."

He could sense Jack nodded behind him. Ohh how he wanted to punch him. Punch him right in the face and give him something to nod about… "True. However, you made her happy. And I want to know she's happy. And I know you can do that."

Hatter shook his head. "I can't. I… I just can't."

Jack tsked--yes, literally tsked--which made Hatter whirl around. "What! I'm a coward, okay? I know that! Wonderland is my home! I can't just leave it!"

"You're right. She does deserve better." Jack shook his head and walked away, Duchess following close behind.

Hatter tried to swallow the lump in his throat. Slowly, he walked out the door, ignoring Charlie when he tried to get his attention. He walked back to his tea shop and stopped when he saw the damaged. Mad March and the Suits had totally ransacked the place, he could tell from just the outside! This sure was going to be fun repairing…

Sighing heavily, he walked in, took one look around, and got to work picking up.

_XxXxXxXxX_

Alice tried the TV. She tried the radio. She even tried eating. All to distract her from one thing, or, rather, one person: Hatter. She shook her head, trying to erase the look on his face when she left. It was so dismayed… like he hadn't wanted her to go. Yet… he must have. She asked him if he wanted her to stay in Wonderland, he said "hell no". Obviously he didn't want her that bad, else he would have stopped her from leaving.

Right?

She hit the side of her head. Wait a minute now. How does she know it wasn't real? It could all have been a dream. In fact, it probably was a dream. Something that, while she was unconscious, she made up. To deal with Jack's sudden disappearance. Yeah, that's it. It was a dream. And she imagined Hatter… She just put all of her wanted characteristics to a person and made him up. Yeah, that's right. Hatter's not even real. So stop wanting him.

Mind made up, she got up from the chair she was sitting in and made her way to her room, where her mother put the clothes she had been wearing previously in a bag to be brought home. She took out her blue dress.

Odd… there's dirt on it… Maybe Wonderland does--

No! It doesn't! Remember, Alice. You were in that warehouse for an hour, lying on the ground.

She threw the dress in her hamper and went onto the next thing, her purple jacket.

Wait. Purple jacket? She didn't own a purple jacket…

Oh my God. It was real. Jack Heart. The Queen. The Suits. Mad March. Daddy… Hatter. It was all real. Which means that her wanting someone wasn't ridiculous… Especially since that someone was real. And since that someone was real…

Without a second thought, Alice got her blue dress from the hamper and put it on her bed. She grabbed a few more shirts, both long sleeved and t shirts, a couple pairs of jeans, underwear, bras and set it all on her bed. She looked around and saw her "Alice in Wonderland" book on her nightstand. Smiling, she added that to her pile. She took her camera, iPod, and her favorite blanket.

Slipping into his purple jacket, she grabbed a duffle bag from her closet and stuffed everything in there, not bothering to make it neat. She'd be unpacking in a bit, anyway. Alice hiked the duffel bag on her shoulder and walked into the dining room. After a moment's thought, she wrote a small note on a piece of paper and stuck it to the fridge:

"Mom, I'm fine. Just off for a small vacation. I'll keep in touch. Love, Alice."

Satisfied, she nodded once and walked out, to the Looking Glass.

And jumped in.

_XxXxXxXxX_

Hatter twisted in his chair slowly. It was slow, running the tea shop now. Not as much business since Jack shut down the emotion-getting completely. No more oysters in and out of the Looking Glass. In fact, the Looking Glass was rarely used anymore.

A week into Jack being king and already Wonderland was improving.

Hatter to give Jack props, even though he hated him. Though, he suppose his hate wasn't fair anymore… him not being with Alice anymore.

Alice… No matter what he tried, he couldn't get the name out of his head. He couldn't get the name or the person out of his head. Alice. Alice. Alice. She was driving him insane and she wasn't even here! With her blue dress and blue eyes. Brown, almost black, hair. And his purple jacket.

His jacket. It probably still smelled like her…

Shut up, Hatter. You're being ridiculous. The jacket won't smell like her. And that's just creepy, anyway. Isn't it?

Yes. She isn't your girlfriend. So it is creepy.

Damnit. Screw it.

He walked over to his lass wardrobe and looked through it. And couldn't find it. He looked through it once more. Still couldn't find it. Then he remembered. He left it with her.

Well… that's a reason to go back… he does need his jacket back…

"What?" He asked irritably as a knock sounded on his door.

"Hatter, it's me, Jack. Let me in."

"Why should I?"

"Believe me. You're going to want to."

Rolling his eyes, he figured he may as well. He could, after all, have him arrested for 'disobeying an order', stupid prick.

He opened the door and stared at two people. The first was Jack, with a small smile on his face. The second… the second was Alice, in all her glory, duffel bag in hand. She dropped the bag and smiled wide, and attacked him with a bear hug. "Hatter!"

Hatter stiffened, then relaxed into the hug. "Finally…" he muttered. "I've waited too long for this…"

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you," Alice said breathlessly.

Hatter grinned. He had some idea, he imagined. He broke the hug enough to look into her face and do the one thing he wanted to do since he met her--kiss her. The kiss was long and passionate. When they broke apart, Hatter asked, "What are you doing here?"

She grinned. "I have your jacket and I needed to bring it back. Along with a few things, if you don't mind…"

Hatter shook his head, amazed that she'd do this for him. "You can keep the jacket…"

Alice hugged him again. "I need a place to stay, if you don't mind, for a little while."

"You can stay with me."

She grinned and brought him slowly into one more kiss, this one longer than the last. "Excellent…"

_**XxXxXxXxX**_

_And it's done. Hopefully it wasn't too long and hopefully you enjoyed it. Ohh! I know! You can let me know if it was too long and if you enjoyed it by reviewing! AND! If you review, guess what! You get a FREE Hatter plushie (please state specifically if you would like a different character), AND a virtual cookie!_

_Yes, I know that Alice gave Hatter his jacket back, but it wouldn't have worked if she had in this fic, yeah? So we'll just ignore that small detail… XD_

Hope you enjoyed!

-UbiquitousPhantom-


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